Lift door



c. E. EYKLIND July 3, 1934.

LIFT DOOR 2 Shets-Sheet 2 Filed Aug. 18, 1933 6 7/34, 5 Emu/v0 Patented July 3, 1934 PATENT OFFICE LIFT DOOR

Carl E. Eklind, Chicago, 111., assignor to Camel Company, Chicago, 111., a corporation of 'Illinois Application August 18,

6 Claims.

This invention relates to car doors and concerns itself primarily with doors of the lift or elevating type for railway house cars.

The invention has for its main object the improvement of lift doors for railway house cars embodying ball raceways associated with the doors for longitudinal movement relative thereto in order to impart vertical movement to the doors. Among the features by which such improvement is had may be mentioned sturdiness of construction, decrease in the number of parts, simplicity of parts, decrease in cost and protection of the parts from damage by the weather and by physical impact.

5 The invention comprises the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification Figure 1 is a partial elevation of a car door embodying one form of the invention, the door being illustrated in lowered position;

Figure 2 is a view similar to Figure 1, the doors being illustrated in elevated and full open position;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a vertical section taken on line 4-4 0 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a fragmentary elevation of the lower left hand corner of the door illustrating a modification of the first form of the invention; and

Figure 6 is a vertical section taken on line 66 of Figure 5.

Referring first to Figures 1 to 4, inclusive, of the drawings illustrating one preferred form of the invention there is disclosed a longitudinally movable door 10, shown mounted upon a railway house car the sheathing of which is shown partially at 11. The car embodies a side sill 12 to which are secured a plurality of spaced brackets 13, one of which is illustrated in each of Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, these brackets sup- 5 porting a track 14 for the door. The track may be riveted to the brackets by means of rivets 15. A portion of the floor 16 of the car lying in the door opening is illustrated in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings.

0 The door 10 is preferably of metallic construction and embodies, in addition to the customary marginal reinforcing members, a metallic panel 17 provided preferably with a plurality of spaced horizontally disposed corrugations 19 and 20. It

is to be understood that thedoor hereinabove 1933, Serial No. 685,713

described is merely illustrative and that the invention is not confined to this particular type of doors.

The door 10 carries a rearward vertically disposed plate 21 which, as clearly shown in Figures 3 and 4 of the drawings, overlaps the brackets 13 and door track 14 and is effective to prevent undue outward movement of the lower portion of the door. The plate 21 is secured to the lower portion of the door by means of a plurality of rivets such as 22 which, in addition serve to secure a substantially Z shaped member 23 to said lower portion of the door. Bracket members 24 and 25 are secured, respectively, to the lower corners of the door, these bracket members preferably serving as gusset plates for said corners of the door.

It will be clear from Figure 2 of the drawings that the bracket 24 secured to the lower left hand corner of the door embodies a weather strip portion 26 which provides an extension of a weather strip 27 secured to the forward margin of the door. The bracket 24 is provided with an extension 28 and the bracket 25 is provided with an extension 29, these extensions serving by their engagement with the door track 14 to limit the movement of the door toward the car. Mechanism is provided whereby the door'which, in its normal or lowered position, is frictionally retained upon the track by the engagement between the brackets 24 and 25 and the track in order to elevate the door so as to interrupt said frictional engagement and dispose said door upon rolling means for longitudinal movement upon the track.

In the instant embodiment of the invention this mechanism comprises a ball raceway 30 of substantially inverted V shaped cross section. The raceway 30 is disposed between the rear plate 21 and the forward depending flange 31 of the Z shaped member 23 secured to the door. A plurality of balls 32 are seated in the raceway and have rolling engagement with the door track 14. The balls 32 are maintained in definite relationship to each other by means of a ball spacer 33, the spacing of the balls exceeding slightly half the width of the door. Bracketmembers are secured upon the raceway 30, one of these bracket members being disposed adjacent each end of the raceway and the remaining bracket member being disposed intermediate the ends of said raceway. The end bracket members 34 and 35, respectively, are provided with upstanding bosses 36 and. 3'7. It will be observed from Figure 4 of the drawings that the brackets 34 and 35 are so positioned that the upwardly extending bosses 36 and 37 are disposedwithin a channel shaped por-' ,110

tion of the respective brackets 24 and 25, said channel shaped portion being provided by means of the spaced flanges 38 and 39 and the connecting web 40. The brackets 34 and 35 and, consequently, the raceway to which they are secured are connected to the door by means of links 41 and 42. The lower ends of the links 41 and 42 are pivotally connected to the brackets 34 and by means of pins 43 and 44 which extend, respectively, through the bosses 36 and 37 provided upon said brackets. The upper ends of the links are pivotally connected: to the respective brackets 24 and 25 by means of pins 45 and 46 which extend through said links in such manner that the links 41 and 42 are disposed at an acute angle to the horizontal.

By the foregoing construction it will be apparent that the ball raceway is capable of longitudinal movement relative to the door and to the track. Such movement may be imparted to the ball raceway by means of an operating lever 47 pivotally mounted upon a bracket 48 secured to the door. The lever 4'7 is provided with a nose portion 49 adapted to engage the upwardly extending lug 50 formed preferably integrally with the intermediate bracket 51 secured to the raceway. The nose portion 49 of the operating lever 4'7 is related to thelug 50 in such manner that a downward pull upon the free end of the lever will exert ahorizontal thrust upon said lug which in turn is transferred into the longitudinal movement of the ball raceway.

The modification of the invention illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings eliminates the left hand link 41 while retaining the ball raceway, the balls and their spacer and the right hand link of the previously described embodiment of the invention. In the modified construction the operating lever 52 is positioned adjacent the lower left hand corner of the door and is pivotally mounted upon a bracket member 53. secured to said corner of the door. A nose portion 54 formed on said lever engages an upwardly extending lug 55 provided on a bracket member 56 secured to the left hand endof the ball raceway 30. The engagement between said nose-portion and. the lug occurs at the right of a vertical line passing through the center of said lug and is such that upon actuation of the lever 52 a combined lifting movement of the door and longitudinal movement of the ball raceway is obtained.

The bracket member 53 secured to the lower left hand corner of the door is provided with a rearwardly extending ledge 57 extending within the ball raceway 30. By this construction and arrangement between the ledge and the ball raceway it will be manifest that thev raceway may be assembled with the door for shipment therewith, inasmuch as the extension of the ledge 5'7 into the raceway will prevent the raceway from becoming disengaged from the ,door.

It will be apparent from the foregoing that the described constructions embody the features of the invention hereinabove set forth. The moving parts of the mechanism of the invention are amply protected from the elements and the forces transmitted to said mechanism are applied substantially in the plane thereof.

To move the door from the position illustrated in Figure 1 of the drawings to that, shown in Figure 2 the operating lever 47 is grasped and a downward pull exerted thereon. This downward pull is convertedinto a horizontal thrust upon the upwardly extending lug 50so as to impart longitudinal movementtothe ball raceway. The

longitudinal movement of the raceway tends to move the lower ends of the links 41 and 42 horizontally which results in an elevating force being applied to the upper ends of said links and to the door, causing the door to be raised. The longitudinal movement of the raceway is limited by the engagement thereof with the bracket 24. This engagement, additionally, is effective to prevent the links 41 and 42 from assuming a vertical position. As a result of this fact the door will at all times be biased by gravity and will upon release of the operating lever 47 automatically move into frictional engagement with the track. When the door has been elevated the weight thereof is transferred directly upon the balls 32 whereupon the door may be moved relative to the track. In the modification illustrated in Figures 5 and 6 of the drawings operation of the lever 52 similarly causes elevation of the door.

It is apparent that numerous changes and, modifications in the details of the invention will be clear to those skilled in the art. It is intended, therefore, that all such modifications and changes be comprehended within this invention, which is to be limited only by the scope of the claims appended hereto.

I claim:

1. In a railway house car having a door opening, a track secured to said car adjacent said opening, a sliding door for closing said opening, said door having means for frictionally engaging said track in lowered position, a raceway capable of longitudinal movement relative to said door,

a plurality of balls disposed in said raceway and having rolling engagement with said track, a link pivoted upon said raceway adjacent each end thereof, said links extending upwardly at an acute angle from said raceway and being pivotally secured to said door above said raceway and means for imparting longitudinal movement to said raceway to elevate said door.

2. In a railway house car having a door opening, a track secured to said car adjacent said opening, a sliding door for closing said opening, said door having means for frictionally engaging said track in lowered position, a raceway capable of longitudinal movement relative to said door, a plurality of balls disposed in said raceway and having rolling engagement with said track, a link pivoted upon said raceway adjacent each end thereof, said links extending upwardly at an acute angle from said raceway and being pivotally secured to said door above said runway and gusset members secured to the lower corners of said door and enclosing said links.

3. In a railway house car having a door opening, a track secured to said car adjacent said opening, a sliding door for closing said opening, said door having means for frictionally engaging said track in lowered position, a raceway capable .135 of longitudinal movement relative to said door,

a plurality of balls disposed in said raceway and having rolling engagement with said track, a link .pivoted upon said raceway adjacent each end thereof, said links extending upwardly at an acute angle from said raceway and being pivotally se- ;cured to said doorabove said raceway and means for imparting longitudinal movement to said raceway to elevate said door, the angularity between said links and said raceway increasing during the longitudinal movement of said raceway and means for preventing said links from being disposed at a right angle relative to said raceway.

4.111 a railway house car having a door opening,

a track secured to said car adjacent said opening, a sliding door for closing said opening, said door having means for frictionally engaging said track in lowered position, a raceway capable of longitudinal movement relative to said door, a plurality of balls disposed in said raceway and having rolling engagement with said track, a link pivoted upon said raceway adjacent each end thereof, said links extending upwardly at an acute angle from said raceway and being pivotally secured to said door above said raceway and means adapted to engage said raceway to limit the longitudinal movement thereof and the angularity of said links whereby said door is biased toward lowered position.

5. In a railway house car having a door opening, a track secured to said car adjacent said opening, a sliding door for closing said opening, said door having means for frictionally engaging said track in lowered position, a raceway capable of longitudinal movement relative to said door, a plurality of balls disposed in said raceway and having rolling engagement with said track, spaced means pivoted upon said raceway, said means extending upwardly at an acute angle from said raceway and being pivotally secured to said door, whereby said means will effect elevation of said door responsive to the longitudinal movement of said raceway.

6. In a railway house car having a door opening, a track secured to said car adjacent said opening, a sliding door for closing said opening, said door having means for frictionally engaging said track in lowered position, a raceway capable of longitudinal movement relative to said door, a plurality of balls disposed in said raceway and having rolling engagement with said track, a link pivoted upon said raceway adjacent one end thereof and extending upwardly at an acute angle from said raceway, said link being pivotally secured to said door and an operating lever pivotally secured to said door intermediate its ends, one end of said lever being pivoted upon said raceway adjacent the opposite end thereof whereby actuation of said lever will impart direct elevation to said door through its pivotal connection with said lever and longitudinal movement of said raceway.

CARL E. EKLIND. 

